Nathan Exposed » Matthew Shepard: 10 Years Later

Matthew Shepard: 10 Years Later

In the early hours of October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard was left tied to a fence… beaten, tortured and unconscious because he was gay. He remained there for 18 hours before he was discovered by a cyclist, never regaining consciousness and was pronounced dead 5 days later in the hospital.

It was a news report that turned my world upside down. I was 16 at the time, and still working to come to terms with being gay myself. In high school, I was teased and taunted by my classmates. I was beaten up and pushed down because I wasn’t “normal”. And after Matthew Shepard was killed, it was all too real to me that simply by being gay, my life did not have any value to some people.

I think it’s sad that a 21-year-old college student had to lose his life in order to become an example for others. But I’d like to believe that things really have gotten better for gay people since 1998. Whether it is real or just perceived, I do feel safer than I did 10 years ago.

Having access to the internet back then added a new dimension, as I was able to talk with other people about how this awful hate crime affected them. Now things come full circle, a decade later, and here I am once again asking people how Matthew Shepard’s death affected them.

Do you feel more safe, less safe, or about the same as you did 10 years ago? Where were you when you heard about his death, and how did it impact you? Please share your stories with me in the comments.

Tue, Oct 7, 2008 @ 4:11 am | Filed in Gay | Permalink

4 Comments

Did you see The Laramie Project, nathan?

I cry every time I see it (I have the DVD). But like you said, Matthew has made life better for us by bringing the issue of gay violence to the forefront. I think we should all be grateful for him, even though it was utterly senseless and tragic.

Posted by sunshine on Tue, Oct 7, 2008 @ 4:36 am

I heard about it once, but I never really did research about it until now… I know that sometimes in life sacrifices has to be made to prove a point. But this is just outrageous and ridiculous! I never really understand the whole concept. All men are created equal with equal rights. That’s what the United States are “known” for but personally, I don’t trust it. I mean really, gay people are denied rights. We’re people too. And their best argument is “Marriage should be between a man and a woman” It should be yes, but there are many things in world that should be done but isn’t. (Sorry for the off-topic, this just really gets to me) Anyway, about the case… they use the Gay Panic Defense as their defense. I mean that’s just a lame excuse, Gay Panic attack? Are you serious? It may be better than it was 10 years ago, but I still don’t think it’s good as it should be. People have to know, we have to find a way to be heard. I have to get everyone I know to know about this, I just hope I can do it without the fear of being judged…
I think I wrote too much, but 1 more thing. I really want to thank you Mr. Nathan, until I started reading your blog entries, I was too afraid to be myself, I had to “blend” in because I feared of being rejected. But, thanks to your blog entries, I started to write about who I really am. For that, I sincerely thank you.

Posted by David on Tue, Oct 7, 2008 @ 7:27 pm

Eddy - I haven’t seen it, for whatever reason, I don’t feel like I can. Maybe it’s the fact that people cry when they see it, like you did. Maybe someday I’ll check it out.

David - Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me that you shared that with me. I’m very glad to have helped you be yourself, because that’s the most important person for you to be.

Posted by Nathan on Wed, Oct 8, 2008 @ 3:44 am

It still feels to me like just yesterday when I read in the South African media about the unspeakable cruelty with which Matt Shepard was treated and the horrible and lingering death he had died. I still think about him often and every time he is in my thoughts I feel infinitely sad. What happened to him was simply another example of humankind’s terrible capacity for evil and of the inhumanity of man unto man. May Matt Shepard’s name and memory live forever in the hearts and minds of all those who have the slightest trace of human kindness in their hearts and may what happened to him never be repeated.
I salute the name and the memory of a young and innocent guy who should still have been alive today.

Posted by Ignatius on Mon, Oct 20, 2008 @ 3:34 pm